The flowers are demulcent, diuretic and emollient[4, 21]. They are useful in the treatment of chest complaints[4], and a decoction is used to improve blood circulation, for the treatment of constipation, dysmenorrhoea, haemorrhage etc[218]. The flowers are harvested when they are open and are dried for later use[238]. The shoots are used to ease a difficult labour[218]. The root is astringent and demulcent[240]. It is crushed and applied as a poultice to ulcers[218]. Internally, it is used in the treatment of dysentery[240]. The roots and the flowers are used in Tibetan medicine, where they are said to have a sweet, acrid taste and a neutral potency[241]. They are used in the treatment of inflammations of the kidneys/womb, vaginal/seminal discharge, and the roots on their own are used to treat loss of appetite[241]. The seed is demulcent, diuretic and febrifuge[240].

References المراجع:[K] Ken Fern Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[32] Bruce. M. E. Commonsense Compost Making. Faber 1977 ISBN 0-571-09990-4Excellent little booklet dealing with how to make compost by using herbs to activate the heap. Gives full details of the herbs that are used.

[100] Polunin. O. Flowers of Europe - A Field Guide. Oxford University Press 1969 ISBN 0192176218An excellent and well illustrated pocket guide for those with very large pockets. Also gives some details on plant uses.

[101] Turner. N. J. and Szczawinski. A. Edible Wild Fruits and Nuts of Canada. National Museum of Natural Sciences 1978A very readable guide to some wild foods of Canada.

[111] Sanders. T. W. Popular Hardy Perennials. Collingridge 1926A fairly wide range of perennial plants that can be grown in Britain and how to grow them.

[114] Chakravarty. H. L. The Plant Wealth of Iraq. 0It is surprising how many of these plants can be grown in Britain. A very readable book on the useful plants of Iraq.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[189] Bell. L. A. Plant Fibres for Papermaking. Liliaceae Press 1988A good practical section on how to make paper on a small scale plus details of about 75 species (quite a few of them tropical) that can be used.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[218] Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985 ISBN 0-917256-20-4Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.

[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.

[240] Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986Very terse details of medicinal uses of plants with a wide range of references and details of research into the plants chemistry. Not for the casual reader.